From: Debra Haza, Myra Schilling, Maddy Halloran, Sondra Bolte, Brittany Kiel, Ross Thomas, Mike Bealmear, Pam Ison, and Bob Pitman, of Bartholomew County Indivisible
Columbus
This coming Monday, May 21, is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, an opportunity for people to celebrate rather than just tolerate our differences in order to bring about unity through diversity.
We, the undersigned members of the Human Rights subcommittee of Bartholomew County Indivisible, call upon the community to celebrate this important observation.
It is a time, in the words of former President Jimmy Carter, to recognize that “the bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.”
The United States is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world, a fact that is an anathema to some Americans. But for citizens of the world, the realization that they likely can find someone in our country who looks just like them is a source of hope and inspiration.
We often cite the image of the “melting pot” to evoke a vision for America’s future. But we know that image is akin to our experience coloring Easter eggs as a child, where brilliant blues, reds, and yellows end up mixed, producing dull varieties of browns and purples.
A much better vision looks more like a tossed salad, where the various ingredients retain their distinctive color and flavor, but together produce a very savory experience.
So, we urge you on May 21 to:
- Say hello and smile at someone who looks different than you
- Be proactive in listening and accepting people and ideas that are different from your own
- Intervene in an appropriate manner when you observe others engaging in behaviors that show cultural insensitivity, bias or prejudice
In doing so, you will follow the advice of Dr. Seuss, who said, “Be yourself, because the people who mind don’t matter. And the people that matter don’t mind.”
